Preston Hollow Estate

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman is part of a Dallas family that comes from a long line of decorators and entertainers.

Kim became one of Jan Showers clients when she was only 23. She was a debutante who had just graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The first project the two worked on together was a small apartment but Jan knew right away Kim had great taste. “She bought absolutely beautiful pieces,” remembers Showers, who immediately nudged Whitman toward sleek 1940s French furniture.

This project is the sixth project they have worked on together. Kim wanted this how to be full of color and pattern and the two achieved this. “We’ve always been on the same wavelength,” says Showers. “I’m a lot older than she is, but Kim’s an old soul.” This roughly 10,000-square-foot manse on almost two acres in Dallas’s Preston Hollow neighborhood. Chic, comfortable, and colorful, it’s a great home to host parties and entertain which is what Kim loves to do. At first site of the late-1990s house struck the Whitmans as stark and imposing. Showers met their expectations when she said she could transform the house. 

Dallas architect J. Wilson Fuqua added custom crown moldings and other architectural flourishes for graciousness and even playfulness—some of the moldings depict tassels and latticework. Showers painted most walls a warm, silky white, creating an airy canvas for the Whitmans’ colorful modern art collection as well as collected furnishings of antiques and new furniture pieces from the Jan Showers Collection.